Master Construction Management & Engineering in Afbouw

Master Construction Management & Engineering in Afbouw

The MSc. Education program ‘Construction Management & Engineering (CME) of the department of the Built Environment and Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences of the Eindhoven University of Technology is a joint international Master-program of the three Dutch Universities of Technology. At TU/e the specialization of CME consists of ‘Construction Management & Urban Development’ (CMUD). CMUD is a scientific Master program, focused on the societal and scientific analysis of real world problems, in which two domains of science are combined:

(urban) building sciences

management and innovation sciences

Both departments combine their distinctive research driven and subject-oriented approach of traditional engineering education in this Master’s degree program. The two-year degree program is also part of the 3TU federation (http://www.3tu.nl/en), a federation of the three universities of Technology (TU/e, TUD and UT) in the Netherlands. The degree program is coordinated between the three universities, with the possibility of choosing the specialization part of CME program at either university. This means that a student can start with the general courses, the four ‘corner stone courses’ at each of the three locations and then can proceed with the specialization part of the study program at another location. The final thesis project is an integral part of the whole specialization part of the program.

The program has a clear profile of scientific signature and has a strong involvement with research activities of staff members and PhD-researchers. Two major departments of TU/e: ‘The Built Environment’ and ‘Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences’ support the education and research. CMUD at TU/e is aimed at decision-making processes and business concepts for development and management of complex processes within the context of urban area development: modeling technical and organizational systems.

Societal and scientific relevance:The increasingly dynamic complexity of construction and, consequently, the changing perception of interests and values have initiated the development of a new program in the domain area between ‘construction engineering’ and ‘scientific management and economics’. The traditional, solely technical approach regarding research and education needed to be converted into an approach from the viewpoint of process development, in which social aspects, organizational issues and management methodologies are integrated with technology. The focus on processes is gaining attention from those in charge of technical management and implementation. To evaluate different options in a technological and social context and to test practical feasibility, a process-oriented approach to development is needed. A major feature of the MSc program is therefore that it is process and organization oriented: the central focus in this program will be on the design, organization and management of urban development and management processes.

Goals

The master degree program has a focus on an integral management science analysis and improvement of problem cases for the development and control of complex urban areas: ‘Construction Management & Urban Development’. The integral aspects are related to market pull and technology push. The urban space in many European and western countries is limited. The (re-)structuring and (re)development of this space requires innovative scientific concepts making use of the latest technology.

Competences

The competences as stated by the 3TU federation also apply for the CME master degree. The master student is expected to possess an independent and proactive attitude towards his completion of the master degree. The student should be able to apply relevant scientific knowledge to obtain optimal solutions of relevant academic problems. The degree prepares the student to function as a graduate engineer. Research, projects, and various courses represent the basis of that engineer to be implemented in practice. Relevant knowledge is provided from the basic disciplines: management, building and planning science.